Courage Enough
by Windy Perfection
Summary: Lindsay comes close to losing Cindy. What does she do about it?
1. When Thinking Becomes A Problem

Lindsay had been working through something for a while now. She was hoping she hadn't read the signs wrong and was working up the courage to ask Cindy out. She was thinking about it when she told Cindy that they didn't know anything about the victim. When Jill asked her why they just lied to Cindy, Lindsay came up with a bullshit excuse about the officer being undercover. When Cindy found out and confronted the rest of the club about it about it, all Lindsay could think about was how hot Cindy is when she's angry. Once Cindy had stormed off, Lindsay realized that all this thinking was just causing complications.

As soon as Lindsay discovered that she was going to have to go in and save two hostages, she speed-dialed Cindy and told her to come down to the station. When Cindy graced her sights, Lindsay immediately apologized for not telling her the identity of the victim and invited Cindy along to the hostage recovery situation. Her instincts were telling her bad idea, but she felt so bad about lying to Cindy that guilt took over.

When Cindy volunteered to be the decoy, of course, Lindsay immediately vetoed the idea. Lindsay could almost see Cindy thinking, "That's Lindsay. Overprotective and controlling." When Cindy had finally convinced everyone to let her go, Lindsay took the opportunity for some excessive arm touching and reassuring.

"You scared?" Lindsay asked.

"Terrified," Cindy immediately replied.

Lindsay squeezed her on the arm before letting her go. She fought to urge to pull Cindy into a tight hug. The next few minutes happened so quickly. Lindsay couldn't really see Cindy, but Lindsay knew that Cindy would get the job done. She always did.

When Lindsay saw Cindy again, she was lying facedown on the floor muttering, "I'm a pancake" over and over again.

"Nice job, pancake. You alright?"

"Yeah. I'm fine."

"If you hang out for one sec, I wanna talk to you after we put these two idiots into squad cars."

"Sure thing."

Lindsay walked back over to Tom, who was busy leading one of the guys to the car. She took the other and shoved him into the backseat. As soon as the door was shut, she walked back over to Cindy.

"You need a ride anywhere?" Lindsay asked.

"Actually, I was gonna head to the Hall, so that'd be great. Thanks," Cindy said.

As they walked to Lindsay's car, Lindsay began to mull over what she was going to say to Cindy. She was so distracted that she didn't even realize that they'd passed her car.

"Lindsay?"

"Wha…oh right. Car's back there," Lindsay muttered.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm just thinking."

"Uh, oh. Call the cops!"

"Hey! I am the cops!" Lindsay playfully nudged Cindy. Cindy nudged back.

"Climb in, you big goof." Lindsay loved the playful side of Cindy. She didn't really see it when the club was together, but when it was just the two of them, it came out much more often.

Once they were on their way, Lindsay went about finding a way to broach the subject. Cindy made that a little easier on her when she asked what Lindsay wanted to talk to her about. Lindsay decided to pull over. When Cindy looked at her questioningly, Lindsay responded, "Contrary to popular belief, I don't actually multitask well. I need to be able to focus to get this out."

Cindy nodded and Lindsay attempted to forge ahead. She opened and closed her mouth a few times, contemplated taking Cindy's hand, but decided against it.

"Ok, so I've been thinking for a while now and working on a way to figure out how to say this. 'Cause this isn't easy for me. I don't do this very often."

When Cindy looked slightly confused, Lindsay decided to just go for it. She took a deep breath and said, "I like you. A lot. I've liked you for a while now and have been spending a majority of my time trying to work out what to do about it. When you offered to be the diversion, all I could think about was what I'd do if I lost you. I dunno if I could handle it. Ok I'm getting off topic here. What I'm trying to say is….will you go out with me? Like on a date?"

Cindy looked stunned for a minute and then launched herself into Lindsay's arms with an excited, "YES!"

Lindsay was so surprised to find a redheaded, shrieking projectile coming at her that she hit the car horn by accident. Cindy fell into Lindsay's lap in a heap and Lindsay was so amused that she kissed Cindy on the forehead and started laughing. Not chuckle-like laughing, but full on belly laughing. Cindy thought Lindsay looked so adorable that there was only one thing for Cindy to do.

She kissed Lindsay full on the lips, cutting her off mid-laugh. Lindsay's eyes went wide, but eventually she returned the kiss full force. When they finally broke apart, they were both short on breath and they looked at each other only to find these huge goofy grins on one another's faces. Lindsay placed a chaste kiss on the side of Cindy's mouth and started up the car again. On their continued journey to the Hall, Lindsay took Cindy's hand and said, "I'll call you later and we'll talk more. I have to book our idiots first." Then she winked and Cindy headed towards the morgue to see Claire.


	2. A Mother Knows Best

**Chapter 2 A Mother Knows Best**

Before entering the morgue to greet Claire, Cindy tried to get her emotions under control. She obviously failed because as soon as she walked through the door, Claire immediately asked her why she had a goofy grin on her face. Cindy ducked her eyes to the floor in an attempt to keep this new aspect of her life a secret. That solidified things for Claire.

"She asked you, didn't she?"

"Huh? Who asked me what?" Cindy feigned ignorance badly.

"Cindy, I have never seen you this excited, unless Lindsay directly pays attention to you and even then not this much. Lindsay finally asked you out, didn't she? And please spare me the pain of watching you attempt to lie."

"Alright, alright. Yes. But how did you know?"

"She came in here earlier this week freaking out about it. I figured it was only a matter of time."

"Oh…" Cindy briefly wondered why Lindsay was freaking out so much and what Claire told her to calm her down and get her butt into action.

Claire pestered a little more, but Cindy actually refused to answer. She had decided that anything that happened between her and Lindsay was private. For now. Claire turned back to the current autopsy she was working on. As she was elbow deep in the poor soul's chest cavity, the topic of earlier conversation walked in.

Lindsay threw Cindy a wink and said hello to Claire.

"Hey what happened to calling?" Cindy asked nervously.

"What? You're not happy to see me?" Lindsay responded with a grin.

"No, no I am, but you said you'd call, right? Or am I making things up again or hearing things or…"

"She got it out of you, didn't she?" Lindsay interrupted Cindy's ramblings.

"You bet I did. That girl's easier to crack than a clam after cooking," Claire responded.

"Hey! I am not _that _easy. I clamed up after that, didn't I?" Cindy exclaimed.

"Yeah I suppose you did. I am happy for you guys though, even if it did take Miss Dense over here longer than we expected to ask you," Claire fired back.

"Hey now, let's not drag how long it took me into this. The point is, we're giving this a shot," Lindsay intervened as she flashed another grin in Cindy's direction.

"What are we giving a shot?" asked Jill as she entered the morgue. As soon as she saw the body, she immediately turned around, which gave Cindy a free pass from being nettled by Jill as well. Cindy looked to Lindsay for help.

"Let's just say, I finally got my ass in gear and took a chance on what has been right in front of me for quite some time now," Lindsay answered Jill.

Jill was so surprised, she forgot about the body, and whipped around to stare at her favorite inspector and redheaded reporter. Two equally huge grins stared back at her. Jill squealed and practically pole vaulted herself across the room to engulf the two of them in a huge hug.

"This calls for celebration! I'm buying the first round!" Jill said once she released Cindy and Lindsay.

"Actually, can that wait until tomorrow night? I have a couple of things I need to sort out with someone first," Lindsay responded.

Cindy started, thinking Lindsay meant someone other than her, but was reassured when she remembered that Lindsay had said she wanted to talk to her more about where this was going.

"Whyyyy? Can't it wait?" whined Jill.

"No, sweetie. This particular conversation can't," Claire told her as she dragged Jill out of the morgue, which left Lindsay to grab Cindy and pull her into what can only be described as a huge bear hug.

"Did you take your car here? Wait, silly question. You came here with me. Sorry, I was distracted by this cute redhead I know," Lindsay giggled. "You wanna come back to my place and we'll talk some more."

Cindy nodded and allowed herself to be led to the good Inspector's car. She still couldn't believe that this was actually happening. She'd been dreaming about Lindsay since practically the day they met. She never even began to fathom the thought that Lindsay would even remotely return her affections. She grinned at the thought that Lindsay was now hers to do….she shook her head at that train of thought. That was the last thing she needed: to be in a car, alone, with Inspector Lindsay Boxer, having really, really inappropriate thoughts. A faint pink tinge began to work its way up her neck, no thanks to her fair skin. Lucky for her, Lindsay decided to steal a glance at her right at that moment.

"You okay? You look a little flushed."

"Yeah, fine. I'm just a little hot is all."

"Yes, you are," Lindsay cringed. "Sorry! It slipped out. That was horrific." She resisted the urge to bang her head on the steering wheel.

Cindy laughed, "No worries. At least now I know that you're actually saying it and I haven't imagined it."

Lindsay grinned sheepishly and managed to focus on the road for the remainder of the drive. As soon as the pair walked through the door, a big furry blob came hurtling towards them.

"Whoa, Martha! Down, girl!" Lindsay commanded. "I've gotta take her out. She hasn't been out in a while. Make yourself comfortable. I think I have stuff to drink in the fridge, although, I'm not really here much." Hopefully, that will change, Lindsay thought to herself.

Cindy grabbed two bottles of water and plopped down on the couch while she waited for Lindsay and Martha to return. She sipped at one of the bottles and thought back on the day's events. She was reliving that first kiss when Lindsay and Martha reentered the house. Cindy hopped up and handed Lindsay one of the bottles. Lindsay nodded her thanks and flopped down on the couch and left a spot open for Cindy. Cindy immediately took the invitation and snuggled into Lindsay's side. After Lindsay had had a chance to catch her breath, she asked, "so what were you thinking about when I came back? You had the most bizarre expression on your face."

"Oh you know the same thing I've been thinking about for the last couple of months, although this latest version has definitely improved. I was also thinking about how I wanted to do this again." And with that, Cindy leaned up to kiss Lindsay. She was pleasantly surprised when Lindsay met her halfway. After a bit, they finally had to break apart again as breathing became a problem. Lindsay kissed Cindy's forehead and tightened her hold.

"Can we just stay like this for a bit? I just wanna make sure this is real," Lindsay murmured into Cindy's hair. She felt Cindy nod back. About ten minutes later, they were both sound asleep.


	3. Lindsay Boxer, Romantic?

Later, when the two women finally stirred, they found themselves intertwined on the couch. Lindsay leaned down and placed a light kiss on Cindy's mouth and began to work on extracting herself from the loving embrace in which she now found herself. Once they finally had their limbs back to themselves, Lindsay got up off the couch.

"I'm gonna get something to drink, you want anything?"

"Water's fine," Cindy said and held up the discarded water bottle from earlier.

Lindsay nodded back and headed to the kitchen to grab some orange juice. She started back to the sitting room, but realized that Cindy's water must be pretty warm by now. So, she fished some ice out of the freezer and plopped it into a glass and toted everything back to the couch.

Once everything was safely on the table, Lindsay turned to face Cindy.

"So…about this…us rather…"

"Yeah?" Cindy wanted to see more of the open, shy, nervous Lindsay.

Lindsay took a big breath and summoned the courage to say what she knew needed to be said. "I'm usually horrible at relationships and when I start to feel ridiculously attached, I throw myself into the job, which usually solves the problem for me. But this is different. I feel differently about you than I have about anyone else. I really, really want to make this work, but I think it could be the best thing that's ever happened to me. Wait, no, that's not true. This _is _the best thing that's ever happened to me. I've never been with anyone who gets my job and has the same passion for solving crime and putting away bad guys that I do." Lindsay looked at the floor and continued. "Usually, I wait until my job gets in the way and let the other person dump me, because it's easier living with just me and Martha and not worrying where the other person is when I'm out or when she's out, or whatever. But, I want that to change. You made that happen for me. I mean I know we technically haven't even gone on one date yet, but we've been hanging out together for months now and getting to know one another better and I can tell you, Cindy Thomas, that you and your bubbly personality have completely won me over and put a big crack in the hardened homicide inspector shell…"

Throughout Lindsay's entire burst of words, Cindy had been listening with great attention and when Lindsay finally finished, she wrapped the Inspector in a fierce hug and said, "Lindsay Boxer, that is the sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me, and don't worry, I won't tell anyone that you're a true romantic at heart."

Lindsay blushed and tilted Cindy's head up to express in action what she could not express in words. Every emotion that she was feeling at that moment, she poured into the kiss. She felt more for Cindy than she had ever felt for anyone else. It was in this moment that she realized she was in love with Cindy Thomas. And surprisingly, that was okay, even though she decided to wait to voice it until after their first date. And now, about that date.

Lindsay pulled back and when Cindy looked at her questioningly, she responded, "As much as I would love to do this for the rest of the night, about that first date."

"Yes, about that?"

"I had something in mind, but I didn't know when you wanted to go."

"Friday okay for you?"

"Actually, I took the weekend off, so I'm free from 5pm on," Lindsay grinned.

Cindy gasped in mock shock, "Lindsay Boxer voluntarily took the weekend off! Call the doctor, I think she's sick!"

Lindsay laughed and started to tickle Cindy mercilessly. Cindy laughed until she cried.

"You wanna watch a movie?" Lindsay asked.

"Yeah, but only if I can pick," Cindy responded.

"As if you would actually let me choose," Lindsay winked.

Cindy laughed and hopped over to Lindsay's DVD selection. When she finally settled on a movie, Lindsay had returned with soda and some pretzels.

"What'd you pick?"

"You'll see…." Cindy smiled cheekily.

When the movie finally came on, Lindsay just looked at Cindy and said, "Seriously? Out of all the movies in my DVD collection, you picked this one?"

"Whaaattttt? I have a soft spot for Alan Tudyk. Besides, Robin Hood: Men in Tights is hysterical! I need hysterical after being almost shot by gang bangers. Besides, I can't believe you actually have this movie in your DVD collection."

"Touché. I'm up for hysteria."

Lindsay leaned down and kissed Cindy's hair and pulled her closer as they settled in to watch the movie.


	4. Just Another Normal Day

For the rest of the week, both women anticipated the coming date, but for different reasons. Lindsay worried because she wasn't sure if Cindy was going to like what she had planned. Cindy was a mess because this was her first date with Lindsay Boxer, the woman she had been dreaming about practically since laying eyes on her.

On Thursday, Lindsay popped her head into Tom's office.

"Tom? You busy?"

Tom looked up from the file he was looking over and motioned Lindsay in.

"I just wanted to double check that I still have this weekend off."

"Wait, you were serious about that?"

Lindsay raised her eyebrow at him, "um, yes. I actually have something to do this weekend that doesn't involve homicide."

"Oh, maybe I can still work it out…but you've never taken off before….you usually work straight through the weekends."

"Yeah, well there's no time like the present to change," Lindsay quipped. "Please tell me you can still get me the weekend off. I really do have important plans."

"I'll see what I can do. I'll let you know by the end of the day today. These plans of yours…"

"Are none of your business," Lindsay interrupted him. "Can we be done?"

"Yeah, sure. I'll let you know about the weekend."

"Thanks, Tom."

Lindsay walked back to her desk and plopped down. Almost as soon as she hit the chair, her cell rang. She grinned when she saw it was Cindy. She winked at Jacobi and walked out of the bullpen for some privacy.

"Boxer," Lindsay answered in her normal fashion.

Cindy grinned and responded, "hey, gorgeous. How are you today?"

"I'm alright, actually hang on one sec." Lindsay poked her head back into the bullpen. "Jacobi, I'm gonna go grab coffee real quick. You want your usual?"

Jacobi nodded and returned to whatever he was doing at his desk. Lindsay put the phone back against her ear. "I'm taking a coffee break. Meet me? I've hardly seen you all week."

"Sure! The coffee cart in front of the Hall?"

"Nah, I was thinking the one around the corner. Meet me in 10?"

"See you there!"

Cindy grabbed her bag and headed off to meet Lindsay. When she turned the corner to the coffee shop and spotted Lindsay, she waved a hello and had to restrain herself from running the rest of the way. When she finally reached Lindsay, she was not disappointed. Lindsay enveloped her in a tight hug and placed a kiss straight on her mouth. Cindy was surprised that Lindsay would show this much in public, but she wasn't complaining.

"Well hello to you, too," Cindy said after Lindsay released her. Lindsay grinned and took her hand and led her into the coffee shop. She ordered her usual heart attack in a cup and waited as Cindy ordered hers. Once they had their coffee, the looked around and finally spotted an empty table. Once they sat down and had a little caffeine in their systems, Lindsay started talking about their date.

"You know, Tom actually thought I was kidding when I asked him for this weekend off. So, he hadn't put in for it yet. Good thing I checked. He's gonna see what he can do about it. I think he was a little shocked that I actually requested a weekend off. It took me a bit to convince him. Oh well. Ok, so here's my plan so far. I'll come pick you up around 7 and we'll go eat and then I have something planned. Call it a favor from a friend. Hopefully you'll enjoy it."

"Lindz, it'll be fine. I'm sure. I'm just glad we actually get to spend legit time together. You were totally right earlier. We really haven't seen one another this week, other than the occasional club meeting or lead following. By the way, should I dress casual or what?"

"Let's say dressy casual with something you can put on to keep warm later," Lindsay responded.

"What? I can't use you?" Cindy said, immediately blushing when she realized how that sounded. Lindsay smiled and took hold of Cindy's hand and squeezed it. "You may not be able to use me, but I might just bring a spare leather jacket if you're good," Lindsay winked and grinned. Cindy flushed even more at the thought of Lindsay's leather jacket. She had experienced many inappropriate dreams regarding that jacket. She ducked her eyes, avoiding the look she knew Lindsay was giving her. When she finally looked up again, she was surprised to be looking into an amused expression and not the laser-vision she was expecting. Cindy smiled sheepishly and wondered for the millionth time how she got so lucky.

Lindsay looked at her watch, "Crap! I've gotta get Jacobi his coffee and get back to work. If I'm gone too long, my weekend off might be in jeopardy! And that would be a terrible tragedy."

"Yes, yes it would. Ok gorgeous, I will talk to you later. Are we gonna be at Papa Joe's tonight?"

"Depends on if I catch anything between now and then. Hopefully we will." Lindsay kissed her again, grabbed Jacobi's coffee and said, "I'll see you later then!"

As soon as Lindsay walked into the bullpen, Jacobi steered her right back out again.

"We got a call. Thanks for the coffee by the way. You were gone for longer than I expected; long line?"

"Nope. Good company," Lindsay responded truthfully, knowing that she couldn't lie to him.

"Ah. You finally pulled your head outta your ass, huh?"

"Wha…," Lindsay sputtered, before resigning to her fate. "Yeah, I finally asked her out. First date's this Friday."

"Finally. That girl has had eyes for you since day one. You know, for such a brilliant inspector, you really can be dense sometimes."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I seem to be hearing that a lot lately. Anyways, what do we have?"

"DB underneath the Golden Gate. We'll know more when we get there."

As Lindsay and Jacobi were on their way to the newest crime scene, Cindy was back at her desk working; Claire was in the morgue, doing autopsies for whomever; Jill was arguing with Denise over sentencing of the two hostage takers. All in all, it was a normal day for the Women's Murder Club.


	5. The Mystery Begins

When Jacobi and Lindsay finally reached the crime scene, it was hard to tell there was even a dead body there because the place was so covered with trash. One of the other cops showed them under the crime scene tape and to their newest case: male victim, mid 20s. Lindsay heard the ME's van pull up and nodded a hello to Claire.

"Hey, sweetie. What do we have?"

"Hi, Butterfly. I was kinda hoping you could tell us that. As far as I can see, we have a male victim in his mid to late 20s. I don't see any obvious causes of death like a gunshot wound or strangulation marks, so I'm guessing poison."

"What do you need me for again?"

"Huh? Oh, sorry. Apparently I've been hanging around the morgue for too long."

Claire started taking the pictures she needed. She called to a crime scene tech and asked for the body to be shipped back to the morgue. "Lindz, I'm done here. I won't have anything for you until tomorrow. It'll probably take until then to ID the body. Since we have no leads other than our unfortunate fellow here, I say we call it a night."

Lindsay nodded in agreement and she and Jacobi headed back to the car. Once back at the Hall, Lindsay called Jill.

"Bernhardt."

"Hey, Jill. You up for drinks at Papa Joe's tonight?"

"I'm always up for drinks! What time?"

"I was thinking in like half an hour."

"Great! See you then!"

Lindsay made the same phone call to Claire and then Cindy.

"Hey baby," Lindsay said when Cindy finally picked up the phone.

"Sorry it took me so long," Cindy said, a little breathless. "I was getting royally reamed by my editor for something or other. It could have something to do with the fact that I keep going to my happy place and don't get any work done."

Lindsay laughed and told Cindy about their plans to meet at Papa Joe's.

"Great! I'll see you guys then!"

What Cindy didn't know was that Lindsay had told her 15 minutes earlier than the other two. Lindsay needed her daily Cindy-fix without getting mercilessly teased by Claire and Jill, especially Jill.

She waved goodbye to Jacobi after giving him the instruction to call her as soon as he knew anything. He nodded and told her to have a good time. Lindsay responded, "I always do!"

When Lindsay finally reached Papa Joe's, she saw Cindy waiting outside, alone. Cindy saw Lindsay's car and smiled brightly, very glad of the fact that Lindsay was the first one there after her.

As soon as Lindsay walked up, Cindy practically jumped on her. Lindsay somehow managed to catch her and kiss her swiftly on the lips. "Hi baby," Lindsay murmured after she and Cindy finally parted. "How was your day? Besides getting chewed a new one by your editor."

"Oh, you know, same old, same old. Yours?"

"New case. No identity on the victim yet. Let's go inside. I'm getting cold."

They headed for the same booth they always inhabited and plopped down next to each other to wait for Claire and Jill. Cindy tried asking more questions about the case, but Lindsay told her she'd get more information once the other two got there. She didn't feel like going into detail twice. Lindsay was absentmindedly playing with Cindy's hair when the other half of the club finally sat down opposite them. Claire and Jill shared a look and Jill couldn't help but ask, "So! When's the big first date?!"

Lindsay rolled her eyes, but responded nonetheless, "Tomorrow. And no you are not getting details. Cindy doesn't know where I'm taking her yet, so you don't get to know yet either."

Jill visibly pouted and Lindsay glared at her while Cindy and Claire just laughed. Once their waitress had taken their orders, talk turned to the new case.

"Well, because we have no information on the victim as of yet, we'll just have to wait for the time being," said Claire.

"What'd the victim look like?" inquired Jill.

"Let's see. About 5'8", late 20's, black hair, looked maybe half Chinese or Korean," replied Lindsay.

"Huh, that description sounds familiar. Maybe I'll recognize the name once we have one," said Cindy.

The foursome chatted for another hour or so before Claire had to get home to the boys and Jill to her flame of the week. Cindy took Lindsay's hand and walked outside. Lindsay walked Cindy to her car. Before Cindy climbed in, she pulled Lindsay into a deep kiss. When they finally separated, Lindsay sighed in content.

"I cannot believe how happy I am. Remind me again why I took my sweet time? Oh yes, because I'm an idiot," Lindsay exclaimed.

"Yeah, but you're mine now and I'm never letting you go," Cindy said and then paused, realizing how they must have sounded to Lindsay. Lindsay didn't seem to mind. Her response was to pull Cindy into a tight hug and whisper in her ear, "good, because I don't plan on leaving or letting you go either. I don't know how I managed before, because everything is so much better now that I have you."

Cindy grinned and on that note, finally got into her car. Lindsay blew her a kiss and headed back in the direction of her own car.


	6. Falling Apart in Pieces

The next morning when Lindsay arrived at work, she promptly got a text from Claire about the identity of the victim. She left a note for Jacobi telling him where she was and to call her if anything else happened. Lindsay walked in at the same time as Jill and Cindy followed shortly thereafter. After the foursome exchanged hellos, Claire jumped into her findings.

"We now know the victim to be Scott Johnson. We identified by dental records. Now we found a strange mark on his chest," Claire said as she pulled back the sheet covering the victim. As soon as she did so, Cindy gasped and went pale. Lindsay was immediately by her side, preventing her from collapsing.

"Cindy, honey? What is it?" Claire asked.

Cindy swallowed and replied, "That's Scott. I work with him at the Register. He's the one who told my editor about the undercover cop on our last case. I just saw him at work yesterday." Lindsay pulled a chair over so Cindy could sit down and Claire pulled the sheet back over Johnson so Cindy wouldn't have to look at him. Cindy sank into the offered chair with a blank look on her face. Lindsay looked at Claire and Jill with a subtle nod towards the door. They got the message.

"Cindy? I've got court in twenty minutes. I've gotta run before Denise has my head. You gonna be okay?" Jill asked.

Cindy nodded, visibly trying to will herself not to cry. As Jill was leaving, Claire managed to slip out unnoticed by Cindy. As soon as the two were gone, Lindsay immediately knelt down in front of Cindy and took her hands. Cindy looked at Lindsay with tears in her eyes. "I just saw him yesterday, Linds. I talked to him. Who could hate him enough to do this?"

Lindsay had no response, so she did the next best thing. She pulled Cindy to her in a fierce hug, hoping that was the right move. Cindy started to sob against her jacket. Lindsay just pulled her tighter and started to play with her hair. Cindy clung to Lindsay as she started to hyperventilate. At that point Lindsay separated and looked Cindy in the eyes. "Cindy? You need to breathe. Babe, you're hyperventilating. You need to slow down and breathe with me." Cindy began to calm down a little. "Good. There you go. That's a bit better."

At this point, Claire felt safe to reenter her domain bearing tissues, which she handed to Cindy. Cindy managed a nod as a thank you. Claire placed a hand on Cindy's back while Lindsay kept a firm grip on one of Cindy's hands.

After a bit, Cindy finally managed to choke out, "thanks guys, but I really should get back to work."

"Cindy, you can barely breathe, let alone work. I need to get in touch with Scott's family anyways. I am going over to the Register to get the information and you are taking the rest of the day off," Lindsay swiftly replied.

"But…"

"Uh-uh, no buts honey. Lindsay's right about this one," Claire interjected.

"Alright," Cindy grumbled. Cindy let herself be led out of the morgue by Lindsay's firm grip.

"Jill…you can come back now!" Claire called down the hallway once Lindsay and Cindy were out of sight and hopefully out of earshot.

Jill sheepishly poked her head back around the corner of the hallway, "how'd you know I'd still be here?"

"Because I know you, hon," Claire said with a smirk.

"Fair enough," Jill replied. "She okay?"

"She's with Lindsay. I think she'll be fine sooner than we expect," Claire said sagely.

With a nod, Jill gave Claire a hug and headed off to pull Scott's phone records.

On her way to the Register with Cindy, Lindsay called Jacobi and filled him in. He promised to meet her there to help canvas coworkers. After hanging up with Jacobi, Lindsay stole a glance at Cindy. She still looked a little pale and her eyes were bloodshot. Lindsay started to rub her thumb over Cindy's hand. Cindy seemed not to notice and Lindsay was about to ask if she was okay when Cindy started talking.

"I didn't even know him that well. He was basically a coworker who liked to steal my deadlines, but it's so different when you actually know the victim. I was not expecting to see someone I knew. Usually I'm able maintain some distance. Sorry I fell apart. I was so not expecting to see Scott when Claire pulled back the sheet."

"Hey, hey, hey. Look at me. You have no reason to apologize for being human. I would have been shocked too if it had been someone I knew. I'm just glad we were there to catch you," Lindsay said as she pulled her car into the parking garage next to the Register. She leaned over and pulled Cindy into a quick embrace before hopping out of the car. Cindy took Lindsay's hand and gave it a quick squeeze before making her way towards the doors of the building.

When Jacobi entered the main office of the Register, he spotted both Lindsay and Cindy at what he assumed was Cindy's desk. He made his way over and nodded hello to both of them, managing to keep the small smile off his face when he saw how Lindsay kept her hand on Cindy's shoulder.

"Hi, Warren," Cindy said quietly.

"Hey there, Cindy. How ya doin'?"

"I've been better," Cindy sighed.

Lindsay motioned to Jacobi away from Cindy's desk. Jacobi got the message.

"Hi, Jacobi. Thanks for meeting us here. I need to take Cindy home. She wants to stay here and work, but I have a feeling she won't be at all productive. I got the victim's address and his parents address, so would you do me a huge favor and inform the family? We can ask around here and canvass the employees tomorrow," Lindsay said in a quick rush, all the while glancing at Cindy.

Jacobi just grinned and said, "You are so whipped, Boxer.

"Ugh. I knew I was gonna get a smart ass comment from you at some point. Just go talk to the family, please? I still need to get Cindy to let her editor know she's taking the rest of the day."

"Alright, Lindz. But, you owe me."

"Don't I always?"

Jacobi shook his head, but took the information from Lindsay nonetheless and headed out. Lindsay, on the other hand, headed back to Cindy's desk.

"Come on, Red. We need to tell your boss you're taking the rest of the day."

Cindy nodded and silently got up, surprising Lindsay with her lack of argument. Lindsay almost let her go alone to ask her boss, but there was something about the way she was acting that told Lindsay to go with her. Cindy seemed in a daze, so Lindsay did all the talking. Cindy's boss gave her the rest of the day quite quickly after being pinned with Lindsay's laser vision. Cindy blankly followed Lindsay out of the Register to her car. After making sure Cindy was secured in the car, Lindsay went to climb into the driver's seat. Just before buckling in, her phone rang. She cursed and got out of the car to answer the phone. It was Tom.

"Boxer."

"Hi Lindz. I'm really sorry I didn't get back to you yesterday about this weekend off."

"You mean this weekend which starts tonight? You did manage to get me off tonight right?"

Tom cringed and answered, "Well, I was able to get you tonight and tomorrow off, but you have to work Sunday on account of the new case."

Lindsay sighed, "Thanks Tom. That's better than nothing."

"How's the case going? You get an ID yet?"

"Actually, yes. I just came from the Register. The vic is one of their reporters, Scott Johnson."

"You're red-headed friend know him?"

"Yes, _Cindy_ does know him and she's not doing so well right now, so I'm taking her home. I don't really want to leave her alone. Something's not right with her. I'm worried Scott might have told her something. If I can make it back in today, I will, but don't count on it."

"Alright, Lindz. See you later."

"Bye, Tom."

Lindsay snapped her phone closed and climbed into her car. Before putting the key in the ignition, she glanced at Cindy, who was staring straight ahead barely focusing. Lindsay turned the car on and headed home.

When Lindsay reached her house and situated Cindy on the couch, she went to change out of her work clothes and take Martha out. She returned from her quick spin around the block with Martha to find Cindy sitting in the exact same place. Lindsay walked over and engulfed Cindy in a tight embrace. Cindy practically melted into her and started crying again. Lindsay pulled Cindy into her lap and just held and rocked her. After a while, Lindsay realized Cindy had fallen asleep. So, Lindsay picked her up and carried her to the bed. Lindsay began to tiptoe out of the room when Cindy started to whimper, so Lindsay walked back over to the bed and slipped in next to Cindy.


	7. A Method for Healing

Lindsay was roused by her phone ringing. She snuck out of her bedroom to answer it.

"Boxer."

"I talked to the family."

"Hey Jacobi. I really appreciate it. What'd they say?"

"Well, as far as I could figure out, they really hadn't had too much contact with him recently. It seems he was buried in a story that he told them would make or break his career. Apparently, his career-maker got him killed."

Lindsay blew out a breath. "Okay, thanks Jacobi. I don't think I'll be in again today, so I'll see you Sunday. I took tonight and tomorrow off."

"You, Lindsay Boxer, willingly took time off in the middle of a case? I must be dreaming."

"Right, old man. I'll talk to you later."

Lindsay hung up and made her way back to the bedroom. She was surprised to find an empty bed. She looked around and was comforted to see a light from underneath the bathroom door. Lindsay headed into the kitchen to grab a glass of water and toss Martha a biscuit. Martha trotted back to her dog bed to enjoy her yummy treat. Lindsay decided to bring Cindy a glass of water. As Lindsay crossed the threshold into her room, Cindy emerged from the bathroom. She took the glass from Lindsay with a watery smile. After downing about half of it, she asked, "what'd Jacobi want?"

"Did we wake you up? I'm sorry. I forgot to put it on vibrate. I really tried to be quiet."

"Nah, its fine. I was gonna get up anyways. I'm really sorry about all of this. I don't mean to be a burden. This is not how I envisioned us sharing a bed for the first time."

Lindsay managed to stifle her chuckle and shrugged, "things happen. You still wanna go on our date tonight?"

"Absolutely. I don't want to ruin what you have planned," Cindy responded without hesitation.

"Ok, I was just asking. I didn't wanna make you do anything you weren't up for. Let's see it's almost one o'clock now, so I was figuring we'd go to dinner around 7 or so and then I'll take you for my surprise."

Cindy grinned, color returning to her cheeks. She grasped Lindsay's hand and pulled her into a hug. "What did I do to deserve you?" she murmured more to herself than anything else. Lindsay just shook her head and pulled Cindy in tighter. After releasing, Lindsay regarded Cindy and decided that she looked better. "I need to finish up some paper work and check in with Jacobi. Do you want to stay here or do you want me to drop you home?"

Cindy thought for a moment before replying, "as much as I want to stay here and crash on your couch and wait for you to come home, I should probably go home so you can pick me up for our date later." Cindy smiled.

"Okay. I need to change back into something more work-like. I'll only be a minute." Lindsay grabbed her clothes out of her dresser and ducked into the bathroom. When Lindsay came out of the bathroom, she found Cindy snooping through her drawers.

"Something you needed?" Lindsay drawled.

Cindy jumped, having been caught red-handed. "Uh, not really," she stuttered. "I was just hoping to borrow a shirt," Cindy mumbled as she looked sheepishly at her shoes.

Lindsay grinned and picked up a shirt and tossed it at Cindy. It hit Cindy in the face causing a small squeak of surprise to tumble out. Cindy bent down and picked up the shirt and started giggling madly. The sound of Cindy's laughter relieved Lindsay so much she joined right in. After Cindy had changed into Lindsay's shirt, they headed to the car.

After dropping Cindy off, Lindsay headed in the direction of the Hall. She stopped in to see Jill briefly before heading to the bullpen.

"Hey Jill," Lindsay said after knocking.

"Hey Lindz. How's Cindy?"

"Better. She had a lot of her color back when I dropped her off at her house before coming here."

"You just dropped her off? I thought you took her home this morning."

"I did. I took her to my house. I didn't want to leave her alone. She looked really pale."

Jill fought a smirk and managed to suppress the thoughts that were threatening to spill out of her mouth. "How was that?" Jill said without any trace of what she wanted to say.

Lindsay rolled her eyes. "Jill, stop that. I know what's going on in that one-track mind of yours. I mean really, she saw a dead person that she knew."

"Alright, alright. So you know I have to ask this. When's the big first date?"

"It's tonight. Cindy said she wanted to go still. I thought it would be a good distraction for her."

"Good. You can tell me all the details tomorrow."

"No. You don't get any details at all."

"Fine, but I will get them out of Cindy. That girl is so easy."

Lindsay threw up her hands and sighed. "Please give that girl a little piece of mind. At least until Monday?"

"Okay, okay. I concede. Nothing until Monday."

"Alright, I've gotta check in with Jacobi before I head home. I'll see you Sunday. I have tonight and tomorrow off."

Jill's mouth dropped open in shock, "You're kidding, right? We're in the middle of a case! You never take time off, even when we're not in the middle of a case!"

"Jill! Let it go. I'm taking the weekend off. I have a date tonight." Lindsay smiled more to herself than anything else.

Jill just shook her head and waved Lindsay out the door with a shout down the hall, "Have fun!"

After getting filled in by Jacobi in more detail about his visit to the family, Lindsay headed back home to get ready for her date with Cindy. She was about to walk out the door to pick up Cindy when she realized she'd forgotten one important object that was bound to cheer Cindy up. She walked back to her closet and grabbed her favorite leather jacket. She pulled up to Cindy's apartment about 10 minutes later. She was able to slip in the door as someone else was leaving. She walked up to Cindy's apartment and knocked on the door.

"Who is it?"

"SFPD. Open up!"

"Lindsay?"

"Nope! It's your escort for the evening."

At this point, Cindy had opened the door and was grinning at Lindsay's silly antics.

"Hey. Come on in."

Lindsay stopped dead before moving into the apartment. Cindy looked absolutely fantastic. Black slacks with a low cut dark green top. Lindsay subconsciously licked her lips. "You look amazing," Lindsay managed to husk out.

Cindy blushed and made her way into the apartment. "I just have to grab my bag and then we can go," Cindy called over her shoulder.

As soon as Cindy reemerged, Lindsay held out her hand and Cindy slipped hers into it and they walked to Lindsay's Jeep. Lindsay opened the door for Cindy and then slid into the driver's seat. Lindsay turned the car in the right direction and they were off for their first date. Cindy knew better than to ask where they were going. She knew Lindsay would tell her in good time. 10 minutes later, Lindsay pulled into a parking space near a Greek restaurant called Helas. Cindy looked over at Lindsay and smiled. "How did you know?"

"How did I know what?" Lindsay replied.

"That Greek is my favorite," Cindy responded.

"Oh, I dunno. Lucky guess?" Lindsay said.

"Uh huh. Right," Cindy looked at her skeptically.

"Can we go in now? I'm hungry," Lindsay shot back.

"Yeah, yeah. Let's go eat."

They walked in and were seated almost immediately, thanks to the reservations Lindsay made. The inside of the restaurant was fairly typical: dim lighting, tablecloths on the tables, waiters who spoke heavily-accented English with the occasional Greek word. Lindsay and Cindy enjoyed their respective meals with light chatter and joking. After paying, Lindsay led Cindy back to the car for the next part of the date. By this point, Cindy was pestering Lindsay to no end about where they were going. Lindsay managed to dodge the incessant stream of question and drove on. By the time they reached their destination, Lindsay had blindfolded Cindy and told her to stop talking. Lindsay helped a still-blindfolded Cindy out of the car and led her in the correct direction. When Lindsay finally took off the blindfold, Cindy gasped.

"Oh my god, Lindsay. It's beautiful!"

Lindsay smiled sheepishly and turned away to hide her blush.

Lindsay had taken Cindy to a local observatory with a huge telescope. Lindsay focused the telescope on the moon and moved aside so Cindy could see.

"Wow. This telescope is amazing! You can actually see the craters!"

The next thing Lindsay focused on was Mars, smiling at Cindy's enthusiasm.

"Lindz! It really is red!"

"Yes, just like your hair, Lois Lane."

Lindsay continued to show Cindy various planets, galaxies and other celestial objects. Cindy was a great student. She soaked up all the information like a sponge. Lindsay even taught her how to focus the telescope. The last thing Lindsay did before taking Cindy home was to take her onto the roof of the observatory and point out constellations. Because it was colder outside, Lindsay gave Cindy her leather jacket. Cindy gave her the brightest smile Lindsay had ever seen. Lindsay lay down and pulled Cindy down on top of her so Cindy's back was to her front. Lindsay showed Cindy Ursa Major (the Big Dipper), Ursa Minor (the Little Dipper), Scorpio, Casseopeia, and a few others.

Once both Lindsay and Cindy were too cold to stay outside anymore, Lindsay took Cindy home. Lindsay walked Cindy to her front door and kissed her goodnight. Cindy desperately wanted Lindsay to stay, but she knew Lindsay would say no. So, she settled for another kiss and turned and entered her house. Cindy was almost inside when she felt a tug on her arm. She turned and saw Lindsay standing there looking a little nervous.

"Lindz?"

"Well, I had a really good time tonight and I still have tomorrow off, so I was kinda wondering if maybe you wanted to do something tomorrow. I mean, if you already have plans or are sick of me already, I understand. I just thought I'd –" Lindsay rambled until Cindy cut her off with another kiss.

"Lindsay, I'd love to spend tomorrow with you. Why don't you come here and we can have a really low-key day with movies and cuddling, okay?"

Lindsay nodded and pulled Cindy to her in a warm hug, kissed the top of her head.

"Goodnight, Red."

"Night, Lindz. See you tomorrow." With that, Cindy disappeared inside and Lindsay headed to her car. All in all, it was a successful night on all counts.


End file.
